Anger in France after Donald Trump mimics terrorists shooting Paris victims in gun speech to NRA
US president mimics assailants shooting their weapons during 2015 Paris attacks: ‘Boom! Come over here. Boom! Come over here. Boom!’
US President Donald Trump sparked anger in France and Britain by suggesting looser gun laws could have helped prevent deadly attacks in Paris in 2015, and linking a wave of knife crime in London to a handgun ban.
In a speech to the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday, Trump mimicked the shooting of victims in the Paris rampage, and said if civilians had been armed “it would have been a whole different story”.
The French government issued its strongest criticism of Trump since he took office, at a time when President Emmanuel Macron has been reinforcing bilateral ties following a state visit.
“France expresses its firm disapproval of President Trump’s comments about the Paris attacks on November 13, 2015 and demands that the memory of the victims be respected,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Every country freely decides on its own laws on carrying firearms, as in other areas. France is proud to be a country where acquiring and carrying firearms is strictly regulated.”
